More Birfield Questions

[zipastro]

How long can you drive with the clunk clunk clunk noise around corners (only when cold)
befor any real damage is done? Any way to grease them up good without tearing it apart to stall the rebuild?

 

[OGBeno]

Get it done...

Others will chime in....

Best.
-onur
Akron, OH

 

[Rich]

Real damage is already done, otherwise the birfields would not be clunking.

 

[cruiserdan]

How long can you drive with the clunk clunk clunk noise around corners (only when cold)
befor any real damage is done?

STOP NOW.........

The noise is generated by components that are pounding each-other because of a lack of proper lubrication. IF you act NOW you MAY be able to escape with the "normal" service components. This IS NOT like a low fuel light, you need to address this now, not in a "few miles".


On second thought, you could put it off. I have not sold a birf for a while and at well over 400 bucks a "rattle" (so to speak... ) I like that........

 

[carolina_cruiser]

From the perspective of someone who hadn't done more than oil changes on an automobile, the birf job is easy enough to do yourself that there isn't any reason to put it off. Just make sure you have all the gaskets, seals, greases, and tools you will need before you start. The writeup and links in the FAQ are an excellent guide.

 

[zipastro]

Well its probably too late anyway......Its my wife’s daily driver and she tells me "Oh its done that for a long, but only occasionally when cold and you throttle it on right hand turns"

140K miles CDan can you hit me with a guesstimate on parts price?

I have read plenty of threads on the difficulty level and I am somewhat concerned. I can do brakes, starter contacts and other 1-banana maintenance jobs but following tedious instructions is not my specialty

 

[SteveH]

Birfield noise...

OK - more on the Birfield noise. I have a '95 that I bought with 77K. The front end rattled lightly when you accel. from a stop with the wheels cranked. I repacked the front end a few years ago, and carefully packed the birfields and replaced all the seals. With the axles out of the truck, I exercised the Birfields in my hands and felt absolutely no lateral or axial play, and no evidence of overheating, galling, brinnelling, corrosion, etc. They looked and felt like new.

After I repacked it - two weeks later, it began to rattle again. It has rattled as such until now, where the truck has 133K on it. My brother's '94 with 140K doesn't rattle at all and was dealer-maintained (which to me means the knuckles were probably never regularly filled ).

Since the truck cruises smoothly and quietly at 85 without the front axle apparently shaking itself to death, what damage *could* I be doing to the front axle? I have noticed some of the moly grease from the knuckles in the gear oil, but I attribute this to my likely overfilling of the knuckles.

Steve

 

[robbie]

What this really indicates is low grease or no grease or thined out grease. An if the birfield is not damaged (pure luck) you can damage the spindle bushing or the spindle it self. It need to be done soon if not sooner. You will need to check the spindle for damage as well as the bushing. Parts on these axles are expensive and only a few have gone the long haul with out the front end failing. later robbie